After a decade in which viewers followed Clark Kent’s pre-Superman adventures, the tenth and final season of The CW’s “Smallville” comes to an explosive end this Friday night.

The longest running comic book-based series in television history, “Smallville” debuted on the then-new WB network in 2001 with the goal of retelling Superman’s origin, from the rocket crash all the way to his decision to don the cape and tights. On Friday, the ten-year-long saga ends with the rise of Darkseid in a two-hour long finale that brings back old friends, older foes and sees Clark finally wearing the iconic red and blue suit.

In preparation for the end, executive producers Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders spoke with CBR News and members of the press about the final episode, beginning with a screening of an unfinished promo for the two-hour finale. Without gong too far into spoiler territory, the promo highlighted the return of Chloe, Oliver Queen punching someone (possibly Clark) through a window, the planet Apokolips rapidly advancing on a collision-course towards Earth and Lois Lane decked out in full bridal gear, running down the aisle — in the wrong direction. The promo also showed Granny Goodness attempting to get Tess to join her side and a very quick shot of what appeared to be Clark’s first flight, sans Superman suit.

Most importantly, the promo featured the return of Lex Luthor, played once again by Michael Rosenbaum, confronting Clark in the ruins of the Luthor mansion and insinuating that without help against Darkseid, Earth is doomed.

”We were thinking about Rosenbaum coming back and what Lex, our Lex, what his purpose was. It was always not quite what you expected and much more human and emotional than I think any of us starting out on ‘Smallville’ would have expected,” said Souders. “We really went back to the pilot and thought, ‘There’s that guy who showed up and was totally personable and super sympathetic and just wanted to thank a guy for saving his life.’ So when we looked at having him back for the finale, it was the same thing, which is, they’re going to go on to be huge enemies. So what is it that’s pivotal at this moment is, that’s our Lex Luthor and our Clark Kent, and how do we wrap up their relationship that has been so complicated and mixed with emotions for ten years?”

Will Lex’s return disrupt Clark and Lois’ wedding plans?
Interestingly, according to Peterson and Souders, this last and biggest reveal almost didn’t happen.

“We only had Michael for one day, so there was only so much we could do with him in the story,” said Peterson. Souders explained they were unsure whether or not Rosenbaum would come back, and thus wrote and prepped a version of the finale without him, just in case.

“There were a couple of things we had planned on planting in the season that we didn’t because we didn’t know that we were going to have him,” Peterson added.

Yet another character reappearing in the finale is Jonathan Kent, who died of a heart attack in season five and has shown up in subsequent episodes as a spirit. Played by actor John Schneider, Jonathan’s part in the finale is unclear, though the executive producers promised not to leave fans hanging.

“I think it will become really clear what role Jonathan plays and why he shows up the way he does in this episode,” said Souders, adding, “Every time I see certain moments with Jonathan I still get a tear in my eye, even after all these weeks of watching the footage.”

Rounding out the returning cast members is Allison Mack who reprises her role as Chloe, a character who has not been seen since “Fortune,” the fifteenth episode of the current season.

“I think there are a lot of different ways people want Chloe[‘s story] to end, and so we, I think, serviced her character in a way that is right for who she was and who she’s becoming. She has one big moment with Clark where we get to see her shine,” said Peterson, commenting on Chloe’s role in the finale.

Familiar faces return for the “Smallville” finale
Added Souders, “I will say that Chloe fans should definitely stay tuned through the whole show — there’s a jewel!”

While “Smallville’s” entire cast has undergone tremendous change throughout the show’s history, the executive producers agree that Clark (played by Tom Welling) has changed the most, both to his benefit and detriment. Peterson and Souders pointed specifically to Clark’s choice to sell the Kent farm against Martha’s wishes as part of his growth process.

“I think that final step of trying to figure out as an adult if you are friends with your parents, or are your parents still your parents — I think he’s really trying to figure out all those last relationships as he takes this step into complete super-manhood. It’s still a complication in his life he needs to make peace with in the finale,” said Souders.

“He’s trying too hard to be a hero and too hard to force his destiny. So some of the problems he’s facing at the top of the finale are about that; trying too hard to decide who he is and not letting it happen as it should,” added Peterson.

Though neither Peterson nor Souders know of plans for a “Smallville” spin-off, they believed there may at least be one more “Smallville” related comic book miniseries in the works, though they said they were not privy to further details.

Overall, when it came to summing up “Smallville’s” legacy, the executive producers admitted they were huge fans of the Superman mythos and that the show represented a spectacular time in their lives, one “never to be duplicated,” stated Souders.

“What I would hope is what ‘Smallville’ did was make one of the most recognizable heroes in the world accessible, made him human to people so that they could relate to him and be inspired by him,” she added.

Clark will finally don the Superman suit
“I think, to me, we got to see the immense struggle it took to get to that point, and to fill in the space to when [Clark] decided to be that inspiration for people,” said Peterson. “We didn’t just want to do an ending, we wanted to do a beginning.”

Ultimately, Peterson and Souders feel that fans and those working on the show would take away from “Smallville” is a simple idea: its OK to have faith in heroes.

“Honestly, I think it’s the theme that emerged this year, which is ‘believe in heroes.’ That has become incredibly important to us that we were able to work on a show that had a positive message,” said Souders. “That’s why [the fans] watch. Not because we have the biggest visual special effects you’ll see on a screen or because of anything else. I think they want to believe in the heroes.”

The two-hour “Smallville” finale airs at 8PM Friday, May 13, on The CW

Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon will play General Zod in director Zack Snyder’s Superman movie, now officially titled Man of Steel. He joins a cast that so far includes Henry Cavill as Clark Kent, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent.
Here’s the official press release:

MICHAEL SHANNON TO STAR AS GENERAL ZOD IN “MAN OF STEEL” FROM WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND LEGENDARY PICTURES

BURBANK, CA, April 10, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Michael Shannon will star in the role of General Zod in director Zack Snyder’s new Superman film, titled “Man of Steel.”

Snyder stated, “Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”

As General Zod, Shannon will go toe-to-toe with Henry Cavill, who plays the new Clark Kent/Superman in the film. The main cast also includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent.

Michael Shannon was honored with an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road,” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Shannon was most recently seen in the award-winning HBO drama series “Boardwalk Empire,” from executive producer Martin Scorsese. He will next be seen in Sony Pictures Classics’, “Take Shelter,” from director/writer Jeff Nichols.

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

“Man of Steel” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Three-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams has landed the role of Lois Lane in Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot, Hero Complex reports. She joins a cast that so far includes Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel, Diane Lane as Martha Kent and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent.

The 36-year-old actress, who’s appeared in such varied films as Enchanted, Doubt and The Fighter, beat out a list of contenders that at one point was thought to have included Kristen Stewart, Mila Kunis and Rachel McAdams.

“There was a big, giant search for Lois,” Snyder tells the Los Angeles Times. “For us it was a big thing and obviously a really important role. We did a lot of auditioning but we had this meeting with Amy Adams and after that I just felt she was perfect for it.”

The star reporter, and one side of the Lois-Clark-Superman love triangle, was last played on the big screen by Kate Bosworth in 2006′s Superman Returns. However, Margot Kidder, who portrayed the character in four films, and Noel Neill are, of course, closely associated with the role.

The new Superman movie is written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan. Charles Rovan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder also are producing. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are executive producers. Filming is expected to begin this summer for a December 2012 release.

Zack Snyder doesn’t plan to repeat the mistakes of Bryan Singer, whose Superman Returns was perhaps too beholden to Richard Donner’s iconic 1978 film and its sequel, becoming an uneasy homage rather than the spark to reignite the franchise.

To that end, Snyder tells Hero Complex, he’s approaching the Warner Bros. reboot from a fresh perspective, one that ignores the five films that came before it. Call it the Batman Begins Method. Or, considering his involvement in the new Superman, the Christopher Nolan Method.

“Literally, the one thing that everyone can start to think about is that we’re making a movie that finally goes with the approach that there’s been no other Superman movies,” he tells the Los Angeles Times blog. “If you look at Batman Begins, there’s that structure, there’s the canon that we know about and respect but on other hand there’s this approach that pre-supposes that there haven’t been any other movies. In every aspect of design and of story, the whole thing is very much from that perspective of respect the canon but don’t be a slave to the movies.”

The reboot, which will probably be called Man of Steel, stars Henry Cavill as Superman and Diane Lane as Martha Kent. Although rumors have linked Kevin Costner and Viggo Mortenson to the roles of Jonathan Kent and General Zod, respectively, Snyder isn’t ready to make additional casting announcements yet: “There’s more to come and I think it’s consistent in its … awesomeness.”

The director also won’t share details of Cavill’s costume, but concedes it will likely be revealed sooner rather than later. “We’re going to have to show it before we shoot,” he says, “probably a while before that because [otherwise] someone will be on the set and get a picture of it.”

The new Superman is written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan. Charles Rovan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder also are producing. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are executive producers. Filming is expected to begin in June for a December 2012 release.

After more than three weeks of rumors, Heat Vision reports that Kevin Costner has closed the deal to play Jonathan Kent in director Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot. He joins a cast that includes Henry Cavill as Superman and Diane Lane as Martha Kent, “the only mother Clark Kent has ever known,” in the movie, thought to be called Man of Steel.

Like Lane, Costner is a Hollywood veteran, having starred in such films as Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, JFK and, yes, Waterworld. He also won an Academy Award for his directorial debut on Dances with Wolves.

The role of Superman’s adoptive father was famously portrayed in in 1978′s Superman: The Movie by Glenn Ford.

With Costner now confirmed as Pa Kent, it remains to be seen whether the other big casting rumor — Viggo Mortensen as Phantom Zone criminal General Zod — pans out. As Deadline suggests, that may hinge on whether the actor lands a starring role in Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman.

The new Superman movie is written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan. Charles Rovan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder also are producing. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are executive producers. Filming is expected to begin in June for a December 2012 release.

The mysterious female lead in director Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot apparently isn’t a love interest for the Man of Steel, but rather an antagonist.

Citing “a most trusted reliable source,” Latino Review contends that Warner Bros. is searching for an actress to play the Kryptonian criminal Ursa, a role originated by Sarah Douglas in Superman: The Movie. Variety reported on Friday that Alice Eve, Diane Kruger and Rosamund Pike are on the shortlist to portray the “undisclosed” character, but Kruger has since told SuperHeroHype she’s not up for the part.

Latino Review also insists that Lois Lane will be in the movie. However, whether she’ll be played by one of the seven rumored contenders for the role — Rachel McAdams, Milas Kunis and Olivia Wilde, among them — remains to be seen.

The possible inclusion of Ursa in the franchise reboot naturally reignites early speculation that General Zod will be the movie’s main villain, something Snyder had previously dismissed as “just a rumor.”

In 1978′s Superman: The Movie, Ursa was sentenced alongside Zod (Terence Stamp) and Non (Jack O’Halloran) to eternal imprisonment in the Phantom Zone by Krypton’s Ruling Council of Elders for unspecified crimes. But in Superman II, the detonation of a hydrogen bomb hurled into space by the Man of Steel freed the trio, who attempted to conquer Earth and exact revenge against the son of one of their jailers.

Ursa didn’t appear in DC Comics until 2006 when, in a story written by Geoff Johns and Superman director Richard Donner, she was introduced as a Phantom Zone criminal, lover of Zod and mother of Lor-Zod, the Kryptonian boy adopted by Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

The Superman reboot, which is expected to begin filming in June, is written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan. Charles Rovan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder also are producing. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are executive producers. It’s set for a December 2012 release.